Entrepreneur Huynh Kim Lap: A solid tank on marketplace

Despite many “achievements”, milestones on marketplace with large scale projects, heavily contribute to the growth of social in more than 14 years but when sharing with us about those successful, he seem to be a modest and quiet man. He is Huynh Kim Lap – Chairman of Thien Tan Group.

Entrepreneur Huynh Kim Lap.

First time I’ve met Mr.Huynh Kim Lap at his office, it was a surprise with his carefree, deliberate working style. Because, the “default” image of him is a busy man, non stop working “machine” when in charge of a Group with 5 member companies and 300 staffs and thousand of workers. In more than 2 hours of chatting, I found more and more interesting things and admiring this person.

First, the business thing, he never shared much but just blame it for luck. But in my opinion, luck is part of successful, all by human effort. After some research, I found out that, Mr.Lap has worked so hard to achieve everything as today.

Entrepreneur.Huynh Kim Lap born and raised in Quang Ngai, a province belong to the Central of Vietnam. As many kids as his age, Lap also experienced a childhood full of joy mixed with tough of life. The awareness of poverty came soon, he became the main labour source of his family with “overweight” works for his age.

After passing into University of Economic in Sai Gon in 1984. The young men named Lap tried hard to study in school and in life. Until graduated, the dream of “getting rich” on his own hometown still burning inside. So he came back to his hometown to fulfill it. At first, raising chicken was the “state to art” work in Quang Ngai. Result is, after this time, Mr.Lap was attached with the nickname Lap “chicken”. Then he raised flowers, coffee plantation, worked for large domestic Company and Joint venture company for experience.

Mr.Huynh Kim Lap, Chairman of Thien Tan Group.

After years of accumulated experience, Mr.Lap has come back to Quang Ngai and begin his Construction investment career. With only a little amount of budget, in 2000, Thien Tan Limited Company (meaning New sky) was established with only 3 members and 2.5 billion VND capital. Nowadays, after 14 years of establishment and development, Thien Tan company has become a large Group with 5 member companies, 300 staffs and thousand workers, Mr.Lap has multiple the capital to over 4.000 billion VND. With the motto “Eternal Faith”, “Faith” is the target that Mr.Lap and his Group aiming for in business. As the result, Thien Tan Group and Mr.Lap has earned the trust of leader and people in Quang Ngai. In the recent years, Thien Tan Group has honor to receive the 3rd class Labor Order (then the 1st class Labor Order in 2015). This is the first private Company to receive this honorable Order. About Mr.Lap himself, he received many awards from Prime Minister, nationally competitive soldiers and in 2015, Mr.Huynh Kim Lap was honorably awarded the noble title Labor Hero of the renovation period.

Mr.Huynh Kim Lap and Thien Tan Group took the word “Faith” to be the motto and never stop in business.

Today, in Quang Ngai, if you ask for the name “Lap”, people will talk about him with a warmly welcome, a man of Quang Ngai, a man who always contributing to his hometown… and you can feel the love, the trust in every word of people.

What I mention above is just part of his career. For the today successful, Mr.Lap himself has passed through many difficulties in life. Every time mention to the word “difficult”, he just smiled, because according to him difficulties on the road of life are commonplace story that any human being has to go through. Look at how he shared his story with a gentle, sincerely voice, I feel the “modest” at him.

Shrimp on sand project.

As far as I know, the initial projects of Mr.Huynh Kim Lap that harvest success have never received support from his friend and his partner. Because, they laughed at him and said that, he just throws money through the windows, do the astronaut things. But time gave an undeniable result, Mr.Lap turned “impossible” to “totally possible”, successful than expected. Like in 2002, the shrimp on sand project, people thought that was the out of reality project, impossible, but that bold ideas bring 15 tonnes/ha/crop for him, stunned people as well as experts on aquaculture. This was unprecedented productivity from shrimp farms in province. To date, this model has been widely popular to farmer, help them to have a stable income. Or the 20 billion investment for the construction of infrastructure in Dung Quat economic zone which many people believed that was the “insane”, “a joke” because at that time, Dung Quat economic zone was a wild, “dead” zone. But now, Dung Quat is the “own brand” of Quang Ngai province. The most notable success of the project is the 200 billion VND investment to build villas for experts by Thien Tan. Currently, the villa has fully dealt with accommodation for professionals and engineering of Technip Group to construct the Dung Quat oil refinery.

Thien Tan villas project.

For those achievements, Mr.Lap had a head “ahead” of time, daring vision, determination, bravery, dare to think dare to do in business. Plus his patience, hard working and desire to learn pushed his success to “peak”. He works with experience, high determination, certainty. He likes a solid tank slowly go toward success, resolutely overcome storms with a ready mind.

It leaves a strong impression for me when I saw a successful entrepreneur with modest – a rare personality from a successful person. With Mr.Lap, the action is always more than words, never showy but to silent, quietly contributing to society. Indeed today, he has solved the job problem for many workers, built projects and hydropower projects for country such as: DakRe hydropower capacity of 60MW in KonPlong district, Kontum province with total investment about 2.200 billion VND and Ha Nang hydropower in Tra Bong district, Quang Ngai province with 400 billion VND investment…

Ha Nang hydropower project – Tra Bong.

During the conversation, I was “stunned” when listening to his business motto. He said: “The marketplace is not a battlefield”, “we all friend and there is no enemy”. Those statements seem ridiculous, but in fact, it has its own logic. He thought, every company has its own path, and they are a flower in this society garden. Those flowers blooming, society will become a better place. By the way, I asked him: “Then, who is your enemy?”, he said: “My enemy is my self, I consent but always try to surpass my own abilities. Every time I met a better partner, I admire and learn from them.”

In addition, he also admitted that he never tempted by money and materialism. Mr.Lap realized that, business purpose is making money but we can’t do everything just for money and live on the suffering of others. That the reasons all of his projects are associated with the protection of ecological resources, surrounding environment and air.

Probably, when you first met this man, you would recognize him as a quiet, frank and serious man but hidden inside that luxury appearance is also the simplicity, love, tolerance, compassion for others. Beside time for works, he also cares about staff usual life, facilitate the best condition for them to focus on work. Therefore, all the staff of Thien Tan Group loved and respected him. They ask for his opinion when encounter a tough job. With them, they see Mr.Lap as “God mouth in human body” because what he said almost absolutely right, he always listen and shared with them life experience. He is the “boss”, “living dictionary”, is an example of the effort to rise from poverty to learn and try harder.

Entrepreneur Huynh Kim Lap with the Horizon Dream fund.

In addition, his love also reach poverty people, children do not have access to school… With him, “small” gifts he gives people each time he visit them is what they call sharing, not “charity” like people think. Nowadays, he and Quang Ngai Television open “Horizon Dream” program. Through the program, his company give 7,2 billion VND to raise 50 special circumstance students. He also supports martyr’s children, victims of Agent Orange, remote areas people, where frequently of natural disasters and floods. In particular, he enthusiastically supported Truong Sa – Hoang Sa “For our beloved island”… His love is not only in Quang Ngai but across the country, where he had been through.

Entrepreneur Huynh Kim Lap, a solid Tank on marketplace.

To talk, to know Mr.Huynh Kim Lap, I clearly felt the deeply humanistic from this tough, bravery, earnest man

Somehow, the conversation with him has ended a long time ago but it still leaves the impression of a simple and modest Central land entrepreneur. He makes me think that, money not only making by sweat, tear but also from the humility and generosity.